Christmas Favorites

I was tagged...

Christmas Song:
Grown Up Christmas List, Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire, O Holy Night, All is Well, Welcome to Our World, Where Are you Christmas, I love Luther Vandross's O Come All Ye Faithful, there's so many...

Christmas Movie:
Definitely the Nativity Story...talk about the real spirit of Christmas and then some fun ones like Its a Wonderful Life, Polar Express, Babes and Toyland (watched this with my sisters growing up), Rudolph, White Christmas, Miracle on 34th Street, Santa Claus with Tim Allen, and the movie Elf cracks me up so much! I love Will Farrell!

Christmas Cookie:
My nanny's raisin filled cookies. My aunt and I used to fight over those. The best! But, I also love snicker doodles, sugar cookies, and you can never go wrong with chocolate chip. I love baking cookies just as much as I love eating them, but I also love giving them away to clients and putting a smile on their faces.

Christmas Gift:
I remember getting Snowball when I was young. I wanted a puppy so badly and my parents gave my sister and I a Westhighland White Terrier. I cried and was so excited!

Christmas Memory:
I would have to go with my sister in having my dad wake me us in the middle of the night because he heard Santa. He said we had to let mom sleep, but the rest of us went downstairs and saw Santa putting gifts under the tree. Years later I found out it was my mom dressed up like Santa….but I’ll never forget the pure joy that brought me as a little girl. My mom did so many great things for us…and still does. Every holiday she made so special...really, every day my parents made so special.

I also enjoyed surprising Matt one Christmas with a gift of encouragement by gathering letters and memorabilia from each of his teachers/professors that have inspired him musically. Then, we had the opportunity to visit one of his all time idols in VA, Steve Melilo.

Christmas Tradition:
When I was young we would go to Longwood Gardens with the Beyers, go to the Christmas Eve service at Lampeter United Methodist and Mrs. Godfrey would give us a Christmas ornament, decorating the Christmas tree in the basement, living room and family room, writing letters to Santa and leaving cookies out for him and carrots for the reindeer, going Christmas shopping with Dad and going down to Watt & Shand's to get a Texas Tommy, sitting on Santa's lap, going over to Nanny's with all of my cousins, spending Christmas evenings with Grandma, Grandpa and Dad's side of the family, making appetizers on Christmas Eve and spending that time as a family, putting fires in the fireplace and sipping hot chocolate, looking out the window on the way home from the Christmas Eve service to see if we could spot Santa's sleigh, oh, there were so many...

Now Matt and I enjoy putting up our two nativity sets, decorating the tree with Pappy, baking Christmas cookies (oh, so many), reading Twas the Night Before Christmas (still), reading the Greatest Story Ever Told on Christmas Eve, Watching the Nativity Story, listening to Christmas music on the way to Thanksgiving, going over to the Pavelko's to unwrap Christmas gifts (after we unwrap our own, that is), eating Dan's awesome stuffed French Toast, going over to Mom and Dad's and having a wonderful fun-filled day with family, picking out a Christmas tree, Christmas Eve service and dinner at Symposium, Christmas shopping, Christmas morning joy.

Christmas Meal:
Um, everything you can think of. Meatballs, cheesy shredded potatoes, green beans, cheese and crackers, crab dip, cookies, fruit, veggies, more cookies...

Christmas Beverage:
Love apple cider, hot chocolate, and always enjoy a glass of wine at holiday parties.

Christmas Decoration:
Nativity sets and white Christmas lights

Christmas Flower:
Is there anything other than a poinsettia

Christmas Ornament:
Like Carrie, my Christmas pickle from mom, and the ornaments I made Matt when we were dating. I made an ornament for each year we were together. I can't wait to have kids and have them come home with homemade little Christmas ornaments.

Christmas Smell:
Christmas tree (although I'm allergic), Christmas cookies, cinnamon, my new potpourri

Christmas Hymn:
O Come All Ye Faithful, Silent Night, O Holy Night, Hark the Herald Angels Sing, there are so many good ones.

Christmas Card:
I love getting pictures of my friends kids. So cute...they usually end up staying on my fridge until next Christmas.

Christmas Shopping Moment:
I love Christmas shopping, period. I just love giving

Christmas Book:
The Greatest Story Ever Told, Twas the Night Before Christmas, and Polar Express

Christmas Party:
This year we had a lot of Christmas parties to go to and all of them were different and fun. Although, I love my guys at Lewis & Associates and we always have a blast at that Christmas party. This year, I even won an award for one of the most funny moments in the office, but I won't proceed in going into details...today, anyways.